Brantley, my nine year old with profound autism, had his first sleep over last night.
It wasn’t like most kids first sleepovers.
It was uniquely Brantley.
He slept in a room at my parents, under a bed tent, which we’ve dubbed “Brantman’s Tent” with me steps away sleeping in the same room.
I tucked him in at 9:30 PM.
At 11:00 PM, I administered additional medication.
By 12:00 AM, I found myself questioning my life choices.
He was wildly knocking his bed tent from side to side as if he was wrestling away any chances of sleep for either of us.
He was laughing.
He was wondering why he was here.
He was having the time of his life.
Thankfully, the sandman finally won and Brantley succumbed to sleep around 12:30 AM.
He was sleeping away from home for the first time.
An amazing feat considering our two unsuccessful outings to Great Wolf Lodge which both concluded on a sour note, with only one word to describe our sweet boy: manic. But this time, he was not manic, he was happy and then he slept.
Knowing Brantley was finally able to sleep away from the comfort of home, makes our upcoming vacation seem a bit less daunting. Despite the challenges we may face, last nights sleepover gave me a newfound sense of possibility for the future. #autismfamily #autismlife #autismparents #specialneedsparenting
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